So, Halo 2, Halo 2 Anniversary and Halo Wars 2 use this render of the ODST armor: Halo 2 Anniversary
However, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo Reach use or modify the Halo 3 render of the ODST armor: Halo 3 - Reach ODST armor
And, Halo 4 and Halo 5 have variations of the H3 ODST armor, such as Helljumper, Nightfall, and GEN2 ODST.
So, is there a lore reason for the difference like that between the Insurrectionist-era Marine armor and the M52B Halo 3 Marine armor? Or is this a complete remodel like the remake of the Halo CE Marines armor? And which is the canonical armor, if there is one?
Armors change over time and also change according to where troops may be stationed. Another thing to consider is when there is a change of equipment in the military, changing sidearms, rifles, grenades, aircraft, armor, uniforms, boots, optics, anything like that. There is always an overlap. A time in which both new and old equipment are still in use. When they bring in new equipment they don’t throw out the older outdated equipment until it either breaks or needs replacing. In Halo 2 to Halo 3 there isn’t much of a time gap so it could be that the ODSTs unit assigned to the In Amber Clad, which are the ones we see in the campaign, it could be possible that unit hasn’t received the newer equipment yet. This is more plausible in the Halo Lore as Humanitys resources at the end of the war were very limited and they used whatever they could. ODST was parallel to Halo 2 and Reach happened only a few weeks prior to Halo 2 in terms of timeline. Moving on to Halo 4 and 5 the armor in the second link is a specialized type of armor used by ONI operatives and is separate from ODST armor, although they looks similar as Nightfall was inspired by original ODST armor. The other two links are MJOLNIR armor and appear as ODST armor but it is in fact Spartan IV armor. A much more advanced piece of equipment.
For the Spartans a lot of the reason the armor is different is because it’s on a Spartan rig and has to meet different requirements.
- Mark 5(B) ODST (Reach) seems to have only been compatible with the Mark 5(B). This means that few Spartan 2 ever used it most likely. It’s possibly a precursor to the Mark 6 GEN(s) 1-2 model - Gen 1 (Halo 3) was just a helmet with a different visor. It’s expected that much of the compatibility was the same and new Spartans could requisition one. - Gen 2 (Halo 4) was a full suit on a GEN 2 rig. - Nightfall (Halo 5) appears to be a similar model but specialized. It’s primarily used by ONI which would explain this. - Helljumper (Halo 5 Buck) is a prototype model.So for the Spartans the refinement indicates a pretty clear evolution once it reached the Mark 6. Nightfall and Helljumper are otherwise variants with one being specialized for specific operatives and assignments that require better life support, while Bucks is a prototype for a future system.
In terms of the Marines who use them it’s a bit complicated.
- Halo 2-Wars may be an earlier model which may explain it’s lack of appearance in Halo 3 - Halo 3: ODST however complicates this by using the Halo 3 era ODST in campaign. We never receive an explanation for this and apparently is more surprising to see a Recon variant based on Romeo’s reaction to it. As an aside it also features a string of variants within its own model. It’s unclear if it’s new or if it’s for specific teams, confusingly Romeo possess a sniper variant despite believing he would be fighting inside a Covenant capital ship and preferring a shot gun. Whether individually assigned or picked is unclear especially in light of what Buck’s squad thought it would be doing.
- Halo: Reach further complicates this by using a completely different rig and setup for armor abilities. It’s also unclear if all ODST armor from this time or since have the attachments like the Spartans.We have really no idea what happened to the Wars-2 model and why it was used alongside the more common version post-Halo 3.
So I hope that answers the Spartans, but I’m afraid I’m in the dark regarding the Marines.
A possible explanation is that the Halo 2 and Wars version was getting phased out by the Covenant invasion of Earth and that’s why both got used but there isn’t to my knowledge an official source. The suit from Reach could be an early model but that also doesn’t explain it’s Jetpack integration which isn’t present on the Halo 3 model. It also doesn’t explain where Buck’s team’s variants came from considering they aren’t present anywhere on the Spartan Gen(s) 1-2 platform.
So, you guys are saying that it’s like the Insurrectionist-era Marine BDU being in service barely before the H3 Marine BDU; one is the original variant, the other is a newer model?
> 2533274915643658;4:
> So, you guys are saying that it’s like the Insurrectionist-era Marine BDU being in service barely before the H3 Marine BDU; one is the original variant, the other is a newer model?
Basically. That, or its the same basic undersuit with a full range of modular components that can be tooled to the wearers needs and missions parameters.
<p></p> nightfall is like a hazop variant, widely used amongst Spartan 4s that used to be marines or ODSTs. The halo 2 models could have been specialised and I don’t know what happened with halo 4 and helljumper
> 2533274907200114;5:
> > 2533274915643658;4:
> > So, you guys are saying that it’s like the Insurrectionist-era Marine BDU being in service barely before the H3 Marine BDU; one is the original variant, the other is a newer model?
>
> Basically. That, or its the same basic undersuit with a full range of modular components that can be tooled to the wearers needs and missions parameters.
It would be quite an undertaking, but I wonder if the ODST uniforms could be cross referenced generationally with Army/Marine infantry uniforms for the same respective time periods? I’m sure there’s plenty of imagery. But the idea of modularity strikes me as a likely justification, as some Army/Marine uniforms appear adapted to mission/environment as well.
> 2533274906306948;7:
> > 2533274907200114;5:
> > > 2533274915643658;4:
> > > So, you guys are saying that it’s like the Insurrectionist-era Marine BDU being in service barely before the H3 Marine BDU; one is the original variant, the other is a newer model?
> >
> > Basically. That, or its the same basic undersuit with a full range of modular components that can be tooled to the wearers needs and missions parameters.
>
> It would be quite an undertaking, but I wonder if the ODST uniforms could be cross referenced generationally with Army/Marine infantry uniforms for the same respective time periods? I’m sure there’s plenty of imagery. But the idea of modularity strikes me as a likely justification, as some Army/Marine uniforms appear adapted to mission/environment as well.
Probably could, if there was a need for it. The GUGNIR armor originally intended for MJLONIR made its way into the UNSC Army BDU after all.
> 2533274907200114;8:
> > 2533274906306948;7:
> > > 2533274907200114;5:
> > > > 2533274915643658;4:
> > > > So, you guys are saying that it’s like the Insurrectionist-era Marine BDU being in service barely before the H3 Marine BDU; one is the original variant, the other is a newer model?
> > >
> > > Basically. That, or its the same basic undersuit with a full range of modular components that can be tooled to the wearers needs and missions parameters.
> >
> > It would be quite an undertaking, but I wonder if the ODST uniforms could be cross referenced generationally with Army/Marine infantry uniforms for the same respective time periods? I’m sure there’s plenty of imagery. But the idea of modularity strikes me as a likely justification, as some Army/Marine uniforms appear adapted to mission/environment as well.
>
> Probably could, if there was a need for it. The GUGNIR armor originally intended for MJLONIR made its way into the UNSC Army BDU after all.
True, and if I’m not mistaken, MJONIR GEN2 “Soldier” has become so popular amongst SPARTAN operators that elements of the design are being incorporated into newer iterations of ODST armor.
I think they are just different variants. Some of the guys have the older stuff and some others have the newer kit. You see it in real life military aswell, some guys just get the newer stuff before others.
Ultimately it’s just the games renders and style.
Short answer: All of them, really.
I’ll just echo others sentiments.
The military rarely uses one single standard bit of equipment, there’s always variations.
And with the vastness of the unsc, and the amount of time the games cover, it’s not unreasonable to think you’d see more than one design.
1 Like
